Illuminating means for indicating instruments



Sept. 20, 1938. G. v. RYLSKY ET Ax. 2,130,367

ILLUMINATING MEANS FOR INDICTING INSTRUMENTS Filed Deo. 27, 1937 INVENTORS.

im Due MC ATTO RN Patented Sept. 20, 1936 UNITED STATE-s PATENT OFFICE Gregory V. Rylsky. New York, N. Y., and Stephen Cerstvik, Union, N. J., signori to Ben dix Aviation Gcrporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware application December zr, lss-serial No. mms

s claims. (ci. 11s-sz) The present invention relates to illuminating means and more particularly to illuminating means for indicating instruments.

one of the objects o: the invention is to provide a novel structure comprising a readily removable lamp support or plug having an easily removable and replaceable miniature electric lamp, in combination with an electric socket for receiving the lamp and its support or plug, es-

pecially adapted for use with an indicating instrument and positionable in the instrument case to cooperate with a ring-like light-conducting and light-emitting member of transparent material such, for example, as glass, or quartz, or the new plastic material recently developed, for providing illumination of the indicating means in the manner disclosed in the co-pending application of Gregory V. Rylsky, Serial No. 29,323. It is to be understood, however, that the replaceable lamp, removable lamp-carrying support or plug and the cooperating socket structure for receiving the lamp and plug of the present invention are not limited to their use with only the type of illumination disclosed in said co-pending application of Gregory V. Rylsky but may be used with and in other combinations, whether part of an indicating instrument or otherwise.

Heretofore, miniature electric lamp and socket structures have been provided such, for example,

Il) as disclosed in the co-pending application of Wladimir A. Reichel, Serial No. 165,587, including a lamp-receiving socket and a lamp comprising a removable plug base member having a iinger-operable gripper portion and providing ex- 86 ternal electrical contacting metallic screw threads, an elongated miniature lamp bulb having terminal leads, a second contact means around said lamp bulb, said screw threads and second contact means being adapted to engage 40 cooperating screw threads and contact means of a socket when the lamp structure is inserted therein, an insulating sleeve or collar surrounding said lamp bulb and said second contact means to insulate the latter from the screw threaded base member, permanent connections for the terminal leads of the lamp to the metallic screw threads and the second contact means, and insulating plastic material in said plug base member for permanently securing the lamp assembly in 50 said base.

,Such an arrangement, as described above, provided a highly satisfactory unitary structure of a lamp and base permanently attached together and not separable without destroying the struclo ture. When the filament of the bulb of such a structure burned out, however, it was necessary to throw away the entire structure including the screw threaded plug base member and the lamp bulb secured therein. This was found to be rather expensive and uneconomical and, there- 5 fore, in accordance with the,present invention there is provided a novel structure in which the screw threaded plug base member and the lamp are separable, thereby making it possible to replace only the lamp bulb and save the base mem- 10 ber.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide, in combination with an electrical lamp-receiving socket, a novel separable lamp and plug base structure comprising a plug base 15 member having a finger-operable gripper portion and a metallic hollow nipple portion threaded externally to provide a first contact means, an insulating sleeve within said nipple portion and having a flange peripherally engaging the end of 20 said nipple portion, an internally threaded conductive sleeve within said insulating sleeve and having a flange engaging the flange of the insulating sleeve and providing a second contact means, and a removable lamp comprising a bulb having a filament therein, an externally threaded metal base permanently securing said bulb therein and adapted to be removably screwed into the internally threaded sleeve with the bulb projecting outwardly from the nipple portion of the plug base member coaxially therewith. and a metal contact on the inner end of said lamp base but insulated therefrom and providing contact with the first contact means of the plug base member, the lament of the lamp having one end connected to said end contact and its other end connected to said lamp base whereby, when said lamp base is screwed into the internally threaded sleeve, one end of said filament may be connected into an energizing circuit through the end 49 contact on the lamp base and through the metallic screw threads of the plug base member and the other end of the filament through the metal lamp base and the internally threaded sleeveupon insertion of the plug base member into the cooperating lamp-receiving socket which is provided with contact means for engagement with the externally threaded nipple portion of the plug base member and the internally threaded sleeve.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel separable lamp and plug base structure of the type set forth above and wherein the internally threaded metallic sleeve in the plug base member has a portion extending beyond the 55 ilange of said sleeve to provide an additional contact surface.

A still further object is to provide a novel sep'- arable lamp and plug base structure oi the class described and wherein the lamp baseis extended over the lamp so as to project outwardly beyond the nipple portion of the plug base member. thereby to provide an additional contact surface.

Still another object oi' the invention is to provides novel separable miniature lamp and plug base structure which is relatively simple to manufacture and which is easily assembled in the process of manufacture whereby the lamps per se may be made inexpensively in large quantities and when a lamp is burned out it may be thrown away and the plug base member retained to receive a new lamp, thus saving the oost of the plug base member.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein three embodiments o! the invention are illustrated. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the 'drawing is for the purpose of illustration only and is' not intended to dene the limits of the invention, reference beinghad for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawing wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several isures,

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one form oi' the entire structure including the lamp-receiving socket and the separable lamp and plug base member. showing the lamp and plug base member about to be inserted into the socket which is illustrated as being located in the casing oi' an indicating instrument, only a portion of the instrument casing being shown;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of another embodiment of the novel separable lamp and plug base structure per se; and

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view of still another embodiment oi' the novel separable lamp and plug base structure per se.

Both of the embodiments of the separable lamp and plug base structure shown in Figs. 2 and 3 may be made for insertion into a lampreceiving socket such as is shown in Fig. l.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location, form and relative arrangement of parts for obtaining the results in accordance with the foregoing objects, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth in the specification, as shown in the drawing by way of example, and as iinally pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to Fig. 3, there is shown one embodiment of the novel miniature separable lamp and plug base structure of the invention, which comprises in the present instance, as shown, an annular metallic plug base member l having a fingeroperable knurled gripper portion 5 and an externally screw-threaded nipple portion 6 which forms one of the contact means for the lamp and which is adapted to cooperate with and engage an internally threaded contact means of a socket into which the plug base member is to be inserted as will appear more lully hereinafter.

The plug base member is hallowed out and has inserted therein an insulating sleeve or collar I provided with ank outwardly extending flange 8 which engages the outwardly projecting end of the externally threaded nipple portion l. Pressed within said insulating sleeve or collar 1, to provide a tight and permanent llt therein and with the nipple portion, is an `internally threaded metal sleeve or collar 9 having a flange Ill which engages and abuts the flange 8 of the insulating sleeve or collar 1. Said internally threaded sleeve or collar 8 may have the threads only at its inner entras shown in Fig. 3 or the threads may extendfrom end to end thereof as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The ilange III forms the second.conta6t means for the lamp and is adapted to cooperate with an annular contact means of the socket into which the plug base member l is to be inserted. It will be noted that the rst contact means 8 and the second contact means Ill are insulated irom each other by the insulating sleeve or collar l and its ilange 8.

The structure thus far described constitutes a removable plug base member adapted for insertion into a socket and is arrangedl to receive a removable miniature lamp structure which projects from the nipple portion 6 coaxially therewith.

The removable lamp structure per se comprises. in the form shown, an externally threaded metal base I I which may be partially threaded as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or completely threaded as shown in Fig. l. At the inner end of said metal base, as shown in Fig. 3, there is provided an insulating hollow insert I2 within which is a. hollow metal insert I3.

Into the externally threaded metal base is inserted and securely seated a miniature lamp bulb Il provided with a filament I 5 having terminal leads IB and I1. 'I'he inner end of said lamp bulb is held securely within said base Il by insulating plastic material or cement I8 which is made to extend up into the metal insert I3. The outer end of said lamp bulb Il projects outwardly of the metal base II and of the nipple portion B oi' the plug base member 4 and coaxially therewith when the base II is screwed into the internally threaded metal sleeve or collar 9.

The terminal lead I6 of the illament I6 is electricallyr connected. as by soldering or tlnning, to the'metal base II as shown at I8, and the terminal lead I1 is electrically connectedin the same manner to the metal insert I3 as indicated at I9 where an excess of solder or tin may be provided to form a contact which engages the inner surface of the metal plug base member 4 as shown in Fig. 3.

Thus it will be seen that when the lamp structure is inserted into the plug base member 4 by screwing the externally threaded metal lamp base II into the internally threaded metal collar or sleeve 9, the iilament I5 is connected to the threaded contact means 6 through terminal lead I'I, contact I9 and the body of the metal plug base member I. and is connected to the second contact means I0 through terminal lead I6, connection IB, lamp base II and internally threaded sleeve or collar 9.

The lamp structure and plug base member are separable and the lamp may be easily removed and replaced, in the event it burns out, by merely unscrewing it and removing it and screwing in a new lamp, thus saving the plug base member.

In Ffa. l there is shown another embodiment of the novel miniature separable lamp and plug base structure of the invention, which is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 3 except that in Fig. l the externally threaded metal sleeve or collar l is provided with a portion 2l which extends outwardly beyond` the nange i to i'orm a cylindrical additional contact surface which is adapted to enlise an internal cylindrical contact surface oi a socket as will appeal-later.

There isshown in Fig. a third embodiment oi the novel miniature separable lamp and plug base structure of the invention. which is also similar to that shown in Fig. 3 but in Fig. 2 the lamp base Il is extended further over the lamp bulb Il so as to project outwardly oi' the nipple portion oi the plug base member l as shown at 2 i and this projecting portion 2| is unthreaded so as to also provide a cylindrical additional contact surface.

There is now provided a lamp socket structure for receiving any one oi' the novel separable lamp and plug base structures hereinbefore described, The socket structure is illustrated in Fig. 'i and is shown as forming part oi' an indicating instrument. the indicating means o! which are to be illuminated in the manner disclosed and described in the hereinbeiore-mentioned eo-pending. application of Gregory V. Ryisky. Serial No. 29,323.

As illustrated in Fig. 1', the socket structure comprises a molded extension 22 formed integrally with the instrument easing 2l of which only the necessary portion is shown. The molded extension 22, however, may be part oi an adapter or frame which is arranged to be secured to a previously constructed and completed instrument. as illustrated and described in another co-pending application oi said Gregory V. Rylsky, Serial No. 141,525.

Within the molded extension 22, which is of insulating material. there is provided an internally threaded metallic sleeve member 24 which is adapted to receive and engage the externally threaded nipple portion 6 oi the plug base member 4 whenrthe latter is inserted into the socket. Arranged concentrically with the molded extension 22 and the internally 'threaded sleeve member 2l there is a boss 25 which is molded inteof insulating material.

On a ledge formed internally of the boss 25 is seated an annular ange 28 of a cylindrical conducting metal sleeve 21 whereby, upon insertion of the plug base member l and the lamp carried thereby into the socket. the ilange ill of the conducting sieeve l of the plug base structures shown in all three embodiments, contacts and engages the ilange 26 of the conducting sleeve 21, thereby insuring positive electrical contact between contact means lll and 2B,

With the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, an additional contact is provided between the plug base member or lamp and the socket by virtue ci the ia'ct that either the surface 2li oi Fig. 1 or the surface 2| of Fig. 2 engages the inner surface of the conductive sleeve 21 of the socket.

Thus the socket is arranged to receive any one of the lamp and plug base structures shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3.

Means are now provided for connecting the internally threaded conducting sleeve member 24 and anged conducting sleeve member 21 to a source of electrical energy such as a battery (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, said connecting means comprise leads 2l and`29, the I lead 28 being directly soldered to the sleeve member 2l as shown at 30, and the lead 2B being con- 1s nected to the iianged sleeve 21 by a conducting grally with the instrument casing 2l andis also mail to which the lead n n soldered u mslema at sa.

when the separable lamp and plug base stmc- Vture is inserted into thesocket, the lamp takes the position Ila shown in dotted lines in Fig. l

Oso as to extend between the ends ot a glass ring Il. only one end Il oi said ring being shown, in

tremely simple, economical, readily removable from a oo-operating socket. particularly adapted ior use with a lamp socket iormed in an instrument casing for illuminating the indicating means oi' the instrument. and a structure in which the lamp per se can be easily removed from the plug base member and replaced by a new lamp without having tol discard the plug base member. thereby saving in the cost of this particular part.

Although three embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, various other changes and modifications in construction, form and relative arrangement oi parts, which will now appear to those slnlled in the art, may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Reference is, therefore, to be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits oi the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A miniature separable lamp and plug base structure for indicating instruments, said stmoture comprising a plug base member having a linger-operable gripper portion and a metallic hollow nipple portion threaded externally to prothreaded conductive sleeve within said insulating sleeve or collar within said nipple portion and having a ilange peripherally engaging the projecting end of said nipple portion, an internally threaded conductive sleeve within said insulating sleeve and having a ange engaging the ange of the insulating sleeve or collar and providing a second electrical contact means, and a removable lamp comprising a bulb having a. lament therein, an externally threaded metal base permanently securing said bulb therein and adapted to be removably screwed into the internally threaded conductive sleeve with the bulb projecting outwardly from the nipple portion of the plug base member coaxially therewith, and a metal contact on the inner end of said lamp base but insulated therefrom and providing contact with the said ilrst contact means oi' the plug base member, the lament oi' the lamp having one end connected to said end contact and its other end connected to said lamp base whereby, when said lamp base is screwed into the internally threaded conductive sleeve, one end of said niament may be connected into an energizing circuit through said end contact on the lamp base and through the metallicscrew threads of the plug base member and the other end of the iilament through the metal lamp base and through the internally threaded conductive sleeve uponIinsertion of the plug base member into a cooperating lamp-receiving socket provided with contact means for'engagement with the externally threaded nipple portion of the plug base member and the ilange ci the internally threaded conductive sleeve.

e flange oi said sleeve to provide a cylindrical addiv tional contact surface.

3. A miniature separable lamp and plus base CERTIFICATE Patent No.Y 2,150,567.

` GREGORY v.

It is hereby certified that error.

of the above n tion of the plusr base member. thereby to pro.

vide a cylindrical additional contact surface.

GREGORY v. RYLBKY. STEPHEN CERSTVIK.

oF coHnEcTIoN.

l.September 20, 1958. RYLSKY, ET AL.

`appears In the printed specification red patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line claim l, strike out the words "threaded conductive sleeve -within said" and insert instead. the syllable andwords vide a first electrical contact means, angand that the said Letters Patent should be read 'with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this l6th day-of December, A. D. 1958 (Seal) Henry Ven Arsdale Acting Commissioner of. Patents.

e flange oi said sleeve to provide a cylindrical addiv tional contact surface.

3. A miniature separable lamp and plus base CERTIFICATE Patent No.Y 2,150,567.

` GREGORY v.

It is hereby certified that error.

of the above n tion of the plusr base member. thereby to pro.

vide a cylindrical additional contact surface.

GREGORY v. RYLBKY. STEPHEN CERSTVIK.

oF coHnEcTIoN.

l.September 20, 1958. RYLSKY, ET AL.

`appears In the printed specification red patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, second column, line claim l, strike out the words "threaded conductive sleeve -within said" and insert instead. the syllable andwords vide a first electrical contact means, angand that the said Letters Patent should be read 'with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this l6th day-of December, A. D. 1958 (Seal) Henry Ven Arsdale Acting Commissioner of. Patents. 

